Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Mitt Overreaching

Dual political realities are increasingly evident, both for Mitt Romney and for foes of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Both the hopers and the haters seem to find their parades dwindling.

Today's Boston Globe finally showed some pointed coverage of both issues. The bulk of the country is not ready for a Mormon president, even our Captain Brylcreme. Likewise, DoMA-in-Massachusetts people have scattered their shot far too widely.We predicted that our Captain may get a free ride on heading the state that legalized gay marriage. However, as much as a person's religion should not matter in America, it does. The Globe coverage of fundies' views is in line with our gut and the informal, unscientific poll down South.

It is easy for Americans to twist the truth to say that this nation was founded by pilgrims seeking religious freedom. We forget that what they wanted in that vein was freedom only for themselves to worship their particular flavor of Protestantism. Others literally and figuratively be damned.

Mormons could use some better PR. Too many view them as a cult, with new, improved, boffo instructions from God, polygamy and magic underwear. For fundamentalists who cannot even get over slightly differing versions of the New Testament, it is all too much.

Many Jews are insulted by the claim that the Messiah had come already. Likewise, Christians deny that Mohammad was a prophet. Most Muslims find Baha'ism, with its next-generation prophet, heresy (punishable by death in places). Then there is the Angel Moroni delivering golden tablets of truth.

Each of those is a hard sell. In most cases, that is not relevant. However, pitching a POTUS in a plebiscite means at the least not appearing to be too much an outlier.

The day may come, Captain Brylcreem, when where you go to church is not a key campaign issue. Not yet.